Child Restraint Systems (CRS) are becoming increasingly used in a variety of markets including some where safety qualifications include anchor accessibility for such systems. Use of the CRS is becoming increasingly popular in automotive vehicles. Today, various state and federal rules and guidelines specify that children of certain ages should be seated in Child Restraint Systems (CRS) or in a booster seat. For example, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recommends that children from birth to three years old be positioned in a rear-facing car seat, while children between the ages of one year to seven years be seated in a forward-facing car seat. Booster seats are recommended for children between the ages of four and 12 years. Age variations for these recommendations are due to such factors as height and weight for the individual child.
However, CRS anchors for vehicles are often not readily visible and/or accessible in some vehicles. While a child anchor identification symbol (such as a tag or button) is often included on the vehicle seatback to aid vehicle users in identifying the approximate anchor locations, accessibility is nonetheless often limited as the anchor may be located behind or under seat foam and trim that must be displaced to see and access the anchors for CRS installation or removal.
Anchor conditions such as these increase difficulty of installation and removal based on limited visibility and hand clearance to an anchor sandwiched snugly between seat foam/trim and seat frame or vehicle structures. Disconnecting a CRS can be especially challenging when attempting to release a spring clip engagement from a child seat webbing strap hook without being able to see, or having finger access clearance to, the anchor for a child seat cinched tightly to the vehicle seat.
Accordingly, a practical and cost-effective solution to the use of CRS anchors in today's motor vehicle remains wanting.